A Taste of Fall

We elves may make a mean cup of eggnog, but by the time autumn rolls around, we’ve only got pumpkin on the brain! We don orange body paint and sit patiently in the patch for hours on end.  We plead for families of four to take us home. We contort our faces, holding toothy grins for longer than is probably advisable… This works up quite an appetite.  That’s why we love this recipe for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins! Forget the fancy Indian corn and pretentious sprigs of wheat. From now on, we’re filling our Horn of Plenty with these bad boys…
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Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

makes 12 muffins

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice mix (cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees and lining a muffin pan with liners. In a large bowl, mix together the almond milk, vegetable oil, pumpkin puree, and vanilla extract until smooth. In a different bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix to combine, and add in the chocolate chips. Add the dry ingredients to the large bowl with the wet ingredients. Mix together until combined, but don’t over work it! Spoon the batter into the muffin pan and bake for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a muffin comes out clean.

Photo and recipe: Another One Bites the Crust